Harvey, who expects to begin throwing from a mound within the next three weeks, was asked if there’s any way his agent, Scott Boras, would allow him to return from Tommy John surgery before the end of this season.

“I don’t work for [Boras], he works for me,” Harvey said.

But Harvey has softened his tone from earlier this season, when he seemed adamant about pitching in 2014.

“As a competitor, if I’m healthy and can come back early, I would love to do that,” Harvey said. “But I can’t put myself in the lineup and certainly can’t tell how I’m going to feel in three months once I get off the mound, so this is all way beforehand and speaking in competitiveness.”